INSIDE: Sarah Stalls says we can all be superheroes...
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Ledger-Advance
^ THURSDAY • DECEMBER 31,2020
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Askewville • Aulander • Coierain • Kelford • Lewiston Woodvifle • Merry Hill • Powellsvitte • Roxobel • Windsor
THE YEAR IN REVIEW: 2020
Pandemic dominated headlines
Crime leads first quarter news i Coronavirus response begins
THADD WHITE
Bertie Ledger-Advance
There were very few headlines
about the story that would domi
nate news worldwide - the pan
demic of COVlD-19 - during the first
three months of 2020.
A look back at the first three
months of the year gives readers a
chance to review the stories which
made headlines last year.
Jan. 1 - The Bertie County Board
of Education retains its leadership
with Tarsha Dudley as chair and
Norman Cherry as vice chair;
See FIRST, 8
THADO WHITE
Bertie Ledger-Advance
As the second quarter began last
year, many of the headlines were
about the worldwide pandemic of
COVlD-19, including the first deaths
in Bertie County.
Here are some of the headlines in
the Bertie Ledger-Advance between
April and June.
April 2 - Six cases of the novel
Coronavirus are active in Bertie
County;
April 2 - N.C. Governor Roy Coo
per issues Stay-at-Home order;
See SECOND, 8
Marc Basnight
remembered
as a ‘giant’
Lynn Jackson of the Askewville Community Food Pantry
packs a box of food. She said the pantry could serve double
THADD WHITE / Bertie Ledger-Advance
the number of people currently coming there each month.
The next date for food giveaway is Monday.
FomI pantpy has capacity to help
THADD WHITE
Bertie Ledger-Advance
ASKEWVILLE - One of the coun
ty’s longest-serving food pan-
tries finds themselves in the
unique position of being able to
serve more families.
The Askewville Community
Food Pantry has been in ex
istence for more than two de
cades and has served as many
as 150 families per month, but
currently has seen that number
drop.
“1 think it is because so much
food has been made available
during the pandemic,” said
Lynn Jackson, who took over
the food pantry from her par
ents after working side-by-side
with them for many years.
Jackson said USDA and other
organizations have made food
more widely available during
the worldwide pandemic of CO-
VlD-19, something she is grate
ful for because she knows it is
needed.
“For us, it has left us serving
less families than we are ca-
See PANTRY, 3
BY GARY D. RDBERTSDN
Associated Press
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) —
Former state Sen. Marc
Basnight, a Democrat
from North Carolina’s
barrier islands who be
came one of North Car
olina’s most powerful
contemporary political
leaders while serving a
record 18 years as Sen
ate leader, died Mon
day. He was 73.
Basnight, who was ill
for years with what was
later diagnosed as amy
otrophic lateral sclero
sis, died at his Manteo
home with family mem
bers present, according
to Amy Fulk, Basnight’s
chief of staff while he
held the chamber’s top
job.
Despite humble be
ginnings and little for
mal education, Bas
night rose through
state politics to serve in
the Senate for 26 years.
His nine two-year terms
as Senate president pro
tempore made him the
longest-serving head
of a legislative body in
FILE - In this Tuesday, Jan.
4, 2011, file photo, outgo
ing Senate leader Marc Bas
night speaks to reporters in
Raleigh, N.C. Basnight died
Monday, Dec. 28, 2020, at
age 73. (Shawn Rocco/The
News & Observer via AP, File)
North Carolina history.
Basnight was a leg
islative powerhouse
involved in enacting
every significant state
policy of the 1990s and
2000s, including pas
sage of the state lot
tery, a ban on smoking
in restaurants and bars
and improved public
education and ethics
reforms. And he made
it a point of stopping
See BASNIGHT, 3
MCC graduates 14 students from first lineman class
SARAH HODGES STALLS
The Enterprise
WILLIAMSTON - Martin Com
munity College recently cel
ebrated a new chapter in the
school’s history.
On Dec. 16, 14 students
were recognized for success
fully completing MCC’s first
Apprentice Line Technician
(ALT) Academy.
The 420-hour ALT program
is offered through MCC’s Di
vision of Continuing Educa
tion and was made possible
through a grant from the
Golden LEAF Foundation.
The students represented
seven communities in four
counties.
Chris Brantley, Mason
Dunlow, Tyler Pleasants and
Jamarii Satterthwaite were
from Windsor.
Jamesville residents Jona
than Buck, Chase Perry and
Joseph Perry were among
the graduates.
Two students from Wil-
liamston were Alden Stalls
and Caleb Tyson.
Students from Plymouth
were Timothy Lee and Javon
Vines.
Matthew Bailey lives in
Stokes.
Alexander Gedrimas hales
from Robersonville and Ja
cob Modlin resides in Bethel.
Due to the pandemic, the
graduation ceremony was
held for a small, socially dis
tanced and masked audience
comprised of the students,
limited family members, the
instructors and MCC staff.
Nathan Mizell, MCC’s Vice
See CLASS, 7
In this edition
Church & Faith 5
Classified 6
Letters to Santa 8
Opinion 4
Sports 10
Good Morning,
Jonathan Huddleston
OF Merry Hill
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Volume 122: No. 54
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